


Only you understand why

by Tigi



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:21:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26862808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigi/pseuds/Tigi
Summary: A finished one shot
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Only you understand why

,,I love you mom."

,,Ok, that sounds suspicious, do I have to worry now?"

Her mother looked at her with concered eyes, probably thinking that it was about a boyfriend or somethingh like that.

,,No."

At least not about this, thought Valkyrie. And not now, maybe you won't even notice. Hopefully you will never notice, you will live and you will never know.

,,What are you talking about, you sound so damn serious, is the milk empty again?"asked her father making his best concerned face.

,,No, we still have some."replied his wife and added ,,Stephanie just told me that she loved me."

,,Aaah, so it is a boyfriend problem?"asked Desmond making a face now, as if he was trying to appear wise and mature. Ready to be there fir his older daughter.

,,No, it isn't."replied Melissa.

,,It isn't some girl stuff, is it? Should I go now?"

,,Don't."asked Valkyrie ,,I just wanted to tell you that I love you, both of you. Just something I read about how we don't tell our loved ones often enough, that we love them." It was a lie, but her parents didn't needed to know that.

Or at least it was partly the truth, even trough not all of it.

,,Sounds like a good thingh to do."agreed her mother.

,,It does doesn't it? I'll just go and tell Alison the same, Ok?"

,,Sure honey, just don't wake her up, ok?"

..........

Her littel sister.

Now even her only one, because she had finally admitted to herself, that Tanith was lost. That she wouldn't see the sword fighter again like she had been. Kind, warm and on their sight, fighting for what she believed in.

She missed that Tanith every day.

Looking down at Alison, she smiled. Her sister would grow up a mortal, innocent and hopefully life a long and rich life. Full of loved ones.

,,What I am going to do, is for everyone, but you made me realise it is necessary."told Valkyrie her with a soft smile. The time to act had come.

She couldn't just stand by while the world moved on and things happened she could stopp.

,,I love you, I will always do."promised Valkyrie and took a deep breath.

Then she went to her room and walked straight to the mirror. After she touched it lightly the reflection came out.

,,It is time."told Valkyrie her ,,you know what to do, don't you?"

,,Of course I do, I will make sure that our parents have no reason to belife you are gone."

Our parents, another slip, but Valkyrie didn't cared, there were more pressing matters.

She had to do it and now, before she would change again.

Before she would herself once again and she would become her again.

Darquesse.

..........

He had never thought that she would ever be like this.....  
It had been always his worst fear, a nightmare that proved to have come true.  
......she had become him.

All these years feeling guilty for what he did, trying to make up for it.  
To make the world step by step a better place, at least a littel bit.  
In an attempt to pay for what he did.  
In an attempt to drown the desire of losing himself to....the monster inside him.

Some days he knew how easily he could do it again.  
Knew how thin the walls between him and the monster inside him were.  
How thin the walls to these awful memories were.

But he had every time kicked himself in th ass and kept going.  
Every time, over and over, he ignored the desire to give inheritance got up and kept going.

But it wasn't a good life, if you even could call it a life.  
But then he met. ......her.

She was smart and strong willed, a girl back then, but you could already see that she would be one day a great woman.  
Confident and knowing what she wanted from life.  
And she had brighten up his world.  
Gave him a reason to get up every day, besides paying for what he did.  
He thought back then, that she could kearn from him.  
But in the end he turned her in a monster.  
Turned her into him.

Deep down he knew that this wasn't exactly his fault, that he would never would have done what he did, if he had known.  
At least he hoped.  
But then there was the indefinable fact, that he had changed her.  
And not to the better.

Every life she took would be his fault l, even more then the last time, because it wasn't only him who was falling down.  
This time he would dragg her down with him.

And he couldn't let that happen.  
He had to stopp her

Because he knew that she would never forgive herself, like he hadn't.  
And he couldn't do that.  
He had already let her become like him, in way to much ways.  
He had to stopp her.

...........

It hadn't been such a hard plan. It was even pretty easy. Maybe even too easy, so many things could go wrong, but she thought it worth the risk.

In her opinion it was her duty to make sure she had done everything possible to make sure Darquesse never happened.

After all she was Darquesse, kind of.

Every life Darquesse took, was her responsibility, every family that was destroyed, ever future that would never happen.

It would be all her fault.

And she couldn't be like Skulldugery, she couldn't come back from it. He had been Lord Vile and he was still trying to make up for it. Always doing his best to right all his wrongs.

She knew deep down that it would never end, there was no way he could give the lifes back he had taken and no way he could ever right his wrongs.

And he still tried, he must have accepted it thought Valkyrie, he must know it and he still tries.

But she couldn't, she couldn't be like him, she had to stop Darquesse, before she could kill anymore people.

Before she could kill Valkyries family.

 _You can't stopp me_ , whispered a voice in her head.

But Darquesse had no way to know, how far Valkyrie would actually go. No one knew.

..........

Sealing her true name hadn't worked and maybe nothingh would ever work, but she still had to try.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, she breathed out.

Trying to calm herself down.

This is necessary told Valkyrie herself, it has to be.

Don't be afraid, you will win and Darquesse will lose.

Closing her eyes she remebered why again, she had to take this risk.

Memories flooded her mind, holding Alison, for the first time really knowing what love without conditions meant.

Remembering her parents, who always did their best.

Thinking back to Fletcher and his sweet smile, that always seemed to be a hint of his future.

Some day he would be a great and good man, kind and caring.

Some day he would find himself a good girlfriend, that wouldn't cheat on him with a Vampire or would try to murder him.

And there was Tanith, of course.

Her first sister, lost to her. And if Valkyrie followed her logic sense, she knew that Tanith was lost to them. Forever gone. But she still would always hope for the impossible, she would always hope that Tanith would come back.

And Ghastly, even if Tanith wouldn't come back, he would eventually have to move on. He deserved it all, a good girlfriend, a family, happiness.

Only when she really got to know him, after they got past all the thingh were he tried to tell her what to do, they had become friend. And when they moved past this, she could actually come to admire him.

Disfigured for life, but still so good, even trough it was so hard for him.

For him it would have been so easy, to listen to the insults he got because of the way he looked, or to let the way people looked at him, get to him.

But he didn't and that was somethingh Valkyrie admired.

And of course there was Skullduggery, her teacher her mentor.

A skeleton that made her feel alive and showed her a world she still could sometimes not believe real.

...........

He had dragged her into this world.  
All the time Ghastly had been right, he shouldn't have done that.  
And he would do everything to make it right.  
Once again.

Even trough it meant he had to lose her.  
But he knew it was the only to way stop it.  
Sealing her true name hadn't worked.  
Nothingh world.  
Except this.

And he hated himself for that.  
Hated everything if that plan.  
Hated that she probably had already figured it out herself.

Had figured out how to stop herself.  
He had never considered what he considered now.  
Maybe because he just never considered it.  
Maybe because he had enjoyed it to much to lose himself.  
Maybe because he was a coward.

Whatever it was, he knew Valkyrie didn't had that problem.  
His partner loved her family.  
Her mother, father and her littel sister.  
And she would do everything to protect them.

Even if that meant to do the unimaginable.

But he could at least do one thingh.  
He could make sure she didn't have to go alone.  
He could live up to his promise.

.........

,,I will miss you."muttered Valkyrie.

She closed glher eyes once again. I have to do this, reminded Valkyrie herself, no one can stopp Darquesse but me. And I am the one responsible for all what she would do. 

Yes she is a separate personality now, somehow she isn't only a name anymore, but a human beeing. But still........everything she does is my fault. If I had just staid away from magic Darquesse would have never happened. If I had listened to Ghastly Darquesse wouldn't exist.

_You can't stopp me._

You are wrong about that thought Valkyrie, I will do everything to stopp you. I will work against you with every breath I breath, every second I will live is only devoted, from now on, to stopp you. Even while breathing my last breath, I will fight you.

_You can't win._

Maybe, but if I don't get to win you will neither.

_You will never do that._

Really?, I will do everything to stopp you, because like you said I can't win. So if I am going down you will have to go down with me.

...............

He would never let her go alone.

Right now he was glad he had finally cought up to her and gotten to her in time.  
The edge of the cliff they were standing on was a high way up and brought up long forgotten memories.  
But they weren't important.  
Only the nowadays and here was important.  
Looking at her he couldn't believe, she would ever think that he would make her this step alone.  
That he wouldn't come with her.  
That he would let her down.

I will miss you.

That were her words.  
But she wouldn't have to.  
Wherever she would ho, he would go.  
Like he promised.  
Unless she wanted to, she would never be alone.

Not even now.  
Especially now.  
Never.

......

,,You won't have to."declared a familiar velvet voice.

Hearing the familiar voice she opened her eyes again and looked to her side, and there he was, like he had promised.

,,You don't have to come with me, this is something I can do alone."

_That is were he will take the exit, this is were your paths separate._

Maybe, but that is okay, this is my decision not his. I have to do this, after all you are my responsibility so it is only fair tha I will pay the price.

,,Maybe you can do it alone, but that doesn't mean you have to be. Don't you remebered what I promised, till the end."pointed Skulduggery out, tilting his head and standing next to her on the edge. It was good that both of them had no problem with height because it was a long way down and today the ocean looked grumpy somhow. Sending wave after wave against the cliff.

_You know he is lying do you? That is just a lie to make you feel better, because he would never do this. Like you said, it is all your fault._

Maybe, it is all my fault what you do. I am just going to assume it and I am going to act like it us all my fault. That is why I am going to do this. Not because I want to, but because I have to.

,,You still don't have to do that, this was never what you promised."

_Sweet how you actually try to give him an out. Would you feel responsible if you were taking him down._

I could never take him down, if he comes with me, it is his own choice. And I will respect his choice either way. I almost pity you, because you will never know how this is, to trust someone to do the right choice and then respect it.

Valkyrie mustered Skulldugery with her dark eyes, her breath feling tight and sadness washed trough her. Even after all what she told Darquesse, the voice in her head, she couldn't be completly sure.

Was she taking him down?

,,Maybe it wasn't what I promised, but it was what I meant."

There was no hint of doubt in his voice.He was sure, like she was.

_You mean he is as insane as you are. That is not the same you know that, do you?_

I am not insane, I am taking responsibility.

,,Well then."muttered Vakyrie.

Skulldugery nodded and took his revolver in his hand weighing the familiar weapon.

Valkyrie took her own weapon in her hand,a Glock a good weapon, even trough it didn't looked as good as Skulldugery revolver.

But it would work and that was enough.

_It will work? And tha is enough? We will see...._

I will make sure it works.

,,So this is how it ends."realised Valkyrie.

_Maybe for you._

Like I said, I will take you down with me. Do not think that you will ever escape me.

,,This is it. Sometimes the most important events aren't the ones made by a group or an government. Sometimes it are only a few people who decide the fate of the world."

_There it is, the prep speech. I think he is fooling you, trying to get rid of me and you._

Even so, I would still win. As long as you can't kill and destroy the world I win. That means every second I am in charge of this body, I win and you lose.

_But it will only take me a few hour in charge and there will be no world anymore....._

That is why I am doing this. To give you no chance whatsoever. There are many plans to get rid of you, but nobody knows how to kill you, to get rid of you permanently. I think I figured put how.

,,Well then."said Valkyrie and raised her weapon.

Skulldugery did the same.

............

It was strange that for once it was his temple his own weapon was pressed against.  
But in some way it only seemed fair.  
He had pulled the trigger so often ended lifes so often.  
Maybe that was just another thingh he had to do to pay for all the things he had done.

No, he realised.  
This wasn't about payback.  
This was entirely about her.  
About a woman who was strong, warm and kind.  
A woman which was about to end it all.  
Because of me......

But he knew better.  
They both knew better.  
She didn't had to.  
She could life her life.  
And the world would probably survive it.  
But in the end, people still would die and it wouldn't be only a few, it would be dozen, hundreds even.  
Maybe thousands.

And she chose all of their lifes over her own.

........

_You are utterly and completly insane. This will never work._

Maybe but it is worth a try.

,,Do you think this will even work, after all Darquesse and Lord Vile might disagree."questioned Valkyrie lookig at him, hoping for a reassurance.

 _Even now, making the biggest choice in your life, you depend on him. Isn't that patheic? You know he will say yes, just to ger rid of_ you.

No, he won't he never will. He promised.

_It won't even work._

Then why do you sound frightened?

,,I think they know this is the end."assured Skulldugery her then.

............

But while he spoke the words somethingh seemed to surface into him.  
And he knew that Lord Vile didn't knew it was the end.  
No, LordVile would do his best to stay alive and not to get himself let dragged down by Skulldugery.

But then, Skulldugery would do his best to dragg Lord Vile down with him.  
To take him with him and make them both fall.  
Fall forever.

..............

_He thinks, he doesn't know._

Nobody can know we all just goes, hoping we make the right guess.

Valkyrie only nodded then towards Skulduggery and said nothingh more, she knew if she wouldn't do it now, she would never do it.

_Because deep down you know it will never work._

This time Valkyrie didn't bothered to answer.

Both of them put the guns now to their temple.

_It is a trick, he is fooling you._

With a sigh Valkyrie swallowed and suppressed the urge to cry.

 _So that is it? You surrender and supress your gut feeling that tells you, this is wron_ g.

I have to this, reminded Valkyrie herself.

_You have to give up._

For Alison.

Without anymore hesitation they squeezed the trigger.

**Author's Note:**

> Finished


End file.
